“My only ‘crimes’ making me a ’national security threat’ are my marriage to a United States citizen of Palestinian origin and my support for the Palestinian cause,” wrote Badar Khan Suri in an op-ed published on 13 May.

After roughly two months of detention in a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, Georgetown University academic Badar Khan Suri is set to be released from custody following an order from a federal judge on 14 May.

Khan Suri, an Indian national, was  abducted by masked Department of Homeland Security agents outside his home in Virginia in March – a scene similar to the arrests of foreign students who have supported Palestinian rights or criticised the US-backed Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.

In recent weeks, Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian Columbia University student, and Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University student, were both  released from ICE detention after being arrested by federal immigration agents.

Judge Patricia Giles of the Eastern District of Virginia  ordered Khan Suri’s release on the condition that he attend other hearings in the case in person and continue living in Virginia, according to CNN.

Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University,  was teaching in the United States on a valid visa at the time of his arrest and is married to a US citizen.

An attorney for Khan Suri, Hassan Ahmad, has  indicated in media interviews that he  believes Khan Suri was targeted because his father-in-law is Ahmed Yousef, a former adviser to the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh. Yousef has publicly criticised Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack on Israel,  according to The New York Times.

“My only ‘crimes’ making me a ’national security threat’ are my marriage to a United States citizen of Palestinian origin and my support for the Palestinian cause,” Khan Suri  wrote in an op-ed published by Truthout on 13 May.

“My beliefs do not allow me to ignore the pain of Palestinians. As a political prisoner, I face deprivation — of sleep, food, hygiene, and, worst of all, contact with my loved ones — but I take solace in knowing that I endure this ordeal for the children of  Palestine, and I see my suffering as nothing compared to theirs,” he wrote.

Republished from COMMON DREAMS, 14 May 2025